This invention relates to the conveying of products via an overhead trolley type conveyor in a meat/food processing facility.
In a meat/food processing facility it is desirable to control the hygiene of the processing environment so as to preclude the introduction of contaminates in the product. Various government regulations address contaminates and sanitation in meat/food processing facilities. It is also desirable to maintain and/or modify conveyor systems with a minimum of effort to reduce labor and costs. Furthermore it is desirable to maintain safe conveyor systems to avoid injury to personnel and equipment.
Several problems exist that hinder the meat/food processing facility in meeting the government regulations concerning hygiene, maintenance and the safety of this equipment.
One problem is the result of sanitation techniques used on the conveyor systems. These systems are sprayed or dipped in a sanitation solution that may become trapped in recesses or between components. Current conveyor systems, by design, have a significant number of areas to trap contaminates. This results in possible contamination due to dripping of solution onto product throughout the facility. If product is contaminated it must be removed from the production stream and destroyed or utilized as rendering at a greatly reduced value.
A second source of contamination is the direct result of normal wear in current metallic based trolley systems. Metal flakes, corrosion, lubricants, and broken cable strands can find their way into the meat/food products during the normal operation of these systems as they pass over areas containing product.
Current systems are plagued with endless cycles of sanitation. Corrosion is accelerated by the use of strong caustic sanitation solutions. Corroded parts making contact with other metal parts tend to wear faster than normal.
Failure of an overhead trolley conveyor system is potentially dangerous due to unexpected rapid and uncontrolled movement of product on the conveyor system. Many components of current systems utilize plated mild steel, which corrodes rapidly when exposed to caustic sanitation solutions. Those systems utilizing corrosive resistant cable do not address the problem of stress on the cable mounting points resulting in premature fracturing of the cable strands. These systems are hard to inspect resulting in overlooked damage and unrecognized danger. Because these systems utilize metal to metal engagement of components they must also use lubricants. The lubricants are constantly depleted during the sanitation process and pose a contamination threat themselves.
Maintenance costs of current conveyor systems are significant due to the need for constant lubrication, replacement of parts that show excessive wear, corrosion, and fracturing. Modification and repair of current systems must be performed at designated areas away from meat/food products. Current systems utilized complex trolleys with multiple components fastened together. Replacing trolley components can require more multiple maintenance personnel to perform the repair. Current Systems typically use continuous lengths of cable or chain for an entire system. Often, cutting equipment and special power tools are required to repair or modify the conveyors. This results in additional loss of use and increased costs. If a current conveyer system should fail, the system must be advanced to a safe area for repair. If this is not possible then product must be removed from the work area to avoid contamination. This procedure and subsequent cleanup of the work area increases costs substantially.
Finally, current systems create noise due to metal to metal contact. This adds to the overall ambient noise level that could be detrimental to the work force.